Angelina Jolie reportedly made a shocking, risky visit to Kherson — a part of the Ukraine that most don’t dare enter due to the ever-present danger in the region.
The Oscar-winning actress quietly attended the front-line Ukrainian combat zone November 5, and spent the day in a maternity ward as well as a children’s clinic, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Kyiv Post deputy chief editor Alisa Orlova initially mistook reports of Jolie’s visit for a “joke,” but later uncovered the A-lister was really in the hazardous region that most seasoned war correspondents rarely enter. (RELATED: ‘We’re Vampires. We Live In A Dungeon’: Billy Bob Thornton Reveals Truth Behind Blood Vials Shared With Angelina Jolie)
“There are almost daily attacks on Kherson,” Orlova said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “The rockets can hit the city in as little as one minute, maybe 30 seconds. But then the videos started appearing in my feed with [Jolie] in the hospital with children. She really was in Kherson.”
US actress Angelina Jolie arrives at the Excelsior pier during the 81st Venice International Film Festival at Venice Lido, on August 29, 2024 . (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – A local resident clear the rubbles of his destroyed following Russian missiles strike in Kherson on August 14, 2023, amid Russian invasion in Ukraine. (Photo by ALEXEI SANDAKOV/AFP via Getty Images)
Orlova went on to say, “People were grateful that she was not afraid to come.”
Jolie was reportedly photographed on the floor of the children’s clinic, surrounded by toys. Local news outlets reported that she traveled to the war-torn region as part of a humanitarian aid program, and the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration presented her with a commemorative “Kherson” coin, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Jolie’s humanitarian efforts and acting career have taken her to other war zones in the past, including a filming stint in Bosnia, Cambodia, and in Chechnya, though Kherson is believed to be the most dangerous area by far.
TORONTO, ONTARIO – SEPTEMBER 07: Angelina Jolie attends the premiere of “Couture” during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 07, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
Orlova acknowledged the genuine nature of the star’s visit, that if Jolie had merely wanted “to do some PR, she could have easily gone to Kyiv, which is much safer,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The outlet reported that the famous actress did face an unfortunate situation during her visit. One of Jolie’s drivers was detained near Mykolaiv after the motorcade was stopped at a checkpoint. The man was reportedly of draft age and was taken to a recruitment office, despite notifying them that he was escorting “an important person, a peacekeeper.”
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 07: Angelina Jolie attends the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on February 07, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Jolie was spotted inside the draft office, and the driver was ultimately released.
“There are rumors he has been let go and promised to enlist after her trip, but we don’t know for sure,” Orlova said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
